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LESSON 2: TECHNOLOGY IS DOING
Lesson 1 Lesson 2
UNIT 5
TECHNOLOGY IS DOING
– Comment on Bill Gates’s quote below:
“Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”
Bill Gates
– What is your opinion about the technological process? – Has it become an advantage, or a drawback in terms of human development?
VOCABULARY
1. Name at least three gadgets you can’t imagine your life without. Look at the pictures, name the following, are any of them on your list? 1 2 3 4 5 6
2. Complete the sentences with the following words. There are two extra words.
cyberspace / labour-saving device / cutting-edge / techie / high tech / breakthrough / tools / technophobe / advances / digital / native / state-of-the-art / electronic appliance / robotics
1) Technological and scientific______ such as computers, cell phones, and satellites may boost the development of the third world countries. 2) The branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control and information processing is ______. 3) ______ allows users to share information, interact, swap ideas, play games, engage in discussions or social forums. 4) A machine, gadget or other thing that reduces human effort, hard work is called a ______. 5) The Internet and all sorts of ______ devices are changing the way children learn. 6) My mom says sitting too close to the TV will make my eyes go square! She's such a ______. 7) Today, people are living longer and healthier lives thanks, in large part, to technological ______ in the field of medicine. 8) The digital tools of our economy make more sense to young ______ than to members of older generations. 9) The centre is 20 years old and will need capital improvements to remain ______. 10) Thousands of hackers, developers, gamers and ______ equipped with laptops camp out in tents on-site for the conference and hacker fest. 11) Scientists are hoping for a ______ in the search for a cure for cancer. 12) You can save money and energy at home by choosing energy efficient ______ and reducing the amount you use them.
3. Match the idioms to their definitions.
1) a silver surfer 2) blow a fuse 3) get/have our wires crossed 4) not rocket science 5) on the same wavelength 6) re-invent the wheel 7) up and running 8) hit the panic button a) ready to use b) to react to a situation with fear and confusion c) a person aged over 50 who uses the Internet d) to get angry/to lose your temper e) to think similarly or to have the same ideas and opinions f) something is easy to understand or do g) to waste time doing something that has already been done correctly h) to misunderstand someone
4. Complete the sentences with the idioms. Change the form where necessary.
1) Mother totally ______ when I told her I had failed Math. 2) The film doesn't ______ for action films, but it adds enough clever twists on the genre to still feel fresh and new. 3) My grandmother is always checking her emails, chatting to friends online, and doing her online banking, she is ______. 4) People should be able to fill in the forms themselves — this is ______. 5) I was surprised that we became friends so quickly, but we're just always ______. 6) Calm down! It’s just a fly. There’s no need to ______. 7) It only took me a few minutes to get the printer ______ after taking it out of the box. 8) I'm sorry about all the confusion regarding the contract, Tim; it looks like we ______ somehow.
READING
5. What do you think life would be like without technology? Can you spend a day without it? Read the text and check it out.
Most of us cannot imagine that they can go for a day without the touch or use of the technology we are used to. Today, almost everything we do is dependent on technology. We have phones, iPods, and computers, just to mention a few. 1) ______ . You may have noted how people constantly keep checking their phones for texts or emails. Others keep looking or logging in to their computers. Sometimes it is just because we have an addiction. It is essential to try to have a day that is without the use of technology.
The last time I was away from my cell phone or computer for more than an hour was about four years ago. Sure, when I take an exam or when I am at an event, I put my phone in my bag, but it is still within my reach. Just think about the loads of time you could have spent exploring the world and enjoying the weather, 2) ______ . I have devoted my life to my social media, creating an online presence, and communicating with my friends and family mostly through technology. So I decided to challenge this habit of mine and go one day without technology.
That morning, I woke up without my phone’s alarm. Before going to bed yesterday I was really nervous that I could miss my class, but still turned it off. I got up, took a towel and went to shower. Then I went downstairs to eat my breakfast. Next I went upstairs to get ready for school. I always have music playing when I am getting ready and it felt odd not having it on. 3) ______ .
Again on the 20 minute walk to my school, I really missed having music on. However just walking to classes not listening to music was something new to me. It gave me a chance to look at my surroundings instead of getting lost in the lyrics. In class, all my friends were too busy with their smart phones, so I nearly got mad as I couldn’t even talk to them.
After my classes, I went to the school cafe to get my meal. I took my lunch over to the lawn and sat by the tree. As I ate, I watched the calm skies 4) ______ . I saw a flock of 30 birds or so flying high above, and a butterfly landed about 40 feet away from me to scan the grass for flowers. On my journey both to and from the school yard, every single person looked me in the eyes and said “hello” to me. I usually have my headphones in and no one notices me. I found that very surprising.
Lesson 1 Lesson 2
UNIT 5
Lesson 1 Lesson 2
UNIT 5
At this point, I still had not looked at my phone once. Honestly, I really wasn’t having the desire. I thought I would have to check my Facebook or texts. I made my way back home and fell on my bed to figure out something to do. I began to get very bored. 5) ______ . I wasn’t longing for communication through the Internet, but live interaction, and for those who know me well, that is something very rare and odd for this introvert. Thank God, my parents came back home by then and we had dinner together.
I ended up reading a book in my bed, although I never read books just for any purpose I did lots of things that day that I normally wouldn’t. But by 22:00, I gave up because I was afraid to miss something. I wasn’t able to go the whole day, but I still went about 15 hours without technology. I learned that I don’t need my phone to entertain me and that nothing can replace face-to-face communication. I also realized that I need to start hanging out more and not hiding behind the walls of my home, because the world is such a beautiful and fascinating place. 6) ______ . These things are short-lived and fast-changing.
The simplest of things that day made me happy: the people saying “hello” to me, the nature around and the butterfly and those birds. These things are real and alive. 7) ______ . Go a whole day without your laptop or phone. You might be surprised what it can do for you.
6. Are you ready to accept the challenge and to spend a day without your mobile, TV,
MP3 player, computer? Support your answer. 7. Read the text again and put these sentences into the right place in the text.
1) I started to actually seek real human contact so that I wouldn’t be alone. 2) But no, ever since I got my first computer and phone, I have chosen to spend my free time scrolling, clicking, and typing away in a virtual world. 3) Our generation is too dependent on instant retweets, likes, and shares from their peers. 4) Don’t invest your life into something that is artificial and temporary. 5) But I remained strong and kept my phone away from me. 6) Because I wasn’t absorbed in my phone, I managed to see some cool things. 7) Technology is useful, but sometimes overused and other times even misused.
GRAMMAR
GRAMMAR BANK
THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS
who (for people)/which (for things/animals) / that (for people/things)/whose (possessive) The relative adverbs are: where (referring to places) / when (referring to time)
Defining relative clause:
– identifies the person or thing we are talking about; – that often replaces who or which; – comma before the relative pronoun is not usually used; – we can omit the relative pronoun when it is the object of the clause. Ex.: Telecommuting is just the start of progress that will see
many people holding down jobs without ever actually going in to work. Non-defining relative clause:
– gives extra information about the person or thing which is not essential; – we cannot use that or omit the relative pronoun; – a comma is always used before the relative pronoun: Ex.: Jill, who has got two children, has decided to telecommute.
NOTE!
In relative clauses we normally put the preposition at the end of it. But not in formal English. Ex.: That’s the man who/that he was speaking to. (informal) / That’s the man to whom he was speaking. (formal) In the sentence, which refers to the complete clause, a comma is always used. Ex.: Fred left school, which surprised everyone.
8. Choose the correct relative pronoun for the following sentences. Refer to the Grammar
Bank at page 136 if necessary.
1) John is a person ___ hates modern technology. a) who b) which 2) The 60s were a time ___ society went through extreme social change. a) when b) where 3) That typewriter is exactly like the one ___ I used to use when I started working. a) which b) that (or no pronoun) 4) I'd love to go to a restaurant ___ is by the sea. a) which b) where 5) That's Lara. Her sister is the one ___ husband was arrested. a) whose b) who 6) ___ the person who left a half eaten burger in the fridge? a) Who's b) Whose
9. Join pairs of sentences with a relative pronoun, so that the meaning was the same.
1) Leonardo Da Vinci drew sketches and diagrams of his inventions. He also was a great painter. 2) Hamilton Smith patented the rotary washing machine. He also won the Noble Prize. 3) The World Wide Web has become an essential part of our lives. It was invented by Tim
Berners-Lee. 4) Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio. He invented the light bulb. 5) Giovanni de la Fontana constructed a human-powered device consisting of four wheels. He was an Italian engineer. 6) The scientist Isaac Newton was born in a little town called Grantham. Margaret Thatcher was also born there. 7) The telephone is an essential thing now. It was invented in 1876. 8) Isaac Newton discovered the Law of Gravitation. He was sitting under a tree at the time.
LISTENING
10. Can you describe how your life would be different without the following conveniences? Listen to four people describing how they coped without each and number them in the order you hear about them.
_electricity _vehicles _hot running water _food processing
SPEAKING Lesson 1 Lesson 2
UNIT 5
11. Choose one of the things below and explain which one you are thinking of not saying its name or any part of its name until your partner guesses what you are talking about. You can start your sentences with.
1) “It’s a person who/ whose…” 2) “It’s a thing/ machine/ gadget that/ which + verb
3) “It’s a place where…” 4) “It’s a process when/which…”
